(Adds company news item and futures)
Nov 24 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures FFIc1 is down 0.1 percent ahead of the cash market open on Friday.
PROVIDENT FINANCIAL: British subprime lender Provident Financial Plc PFG.L said Executive Chairman Manjit Wolstenholme died at age 54 on Thursday.
UNILEVER: Consumer goods maker Unilever ULVR.L has begun working with executive search firm Egon Zehnder International to help to identify a successor to Chief Executive officer Paul Polman, Sky News reported on Thursday.
OPHIR ENERGY: Ophir Energy OPHR.L has postponed its final investment decision on a proposed $2 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Equatorial Guinea until early 2018 to explore alternatives to Chinese financing, the company said on Thursday.
BRITAIN-ECONOMY: British households are their least confident since immediately after last year's Brexit vote, partly because of this month's interest rate hike and further signs of a slowdown in the housing market, a survey showed on Friday.
GOLD: Gold prices inched up on Friday as the dollar remained under pressure after minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting revealed that some policymakers were concerned about lower inflation.
OIL: U.S. crude oil hit fresh two-year highs on Friday, as the shutdown of a major crude pipeline from Canada to the United States tightened North American markets. The UK blue chip FTSE 100 index closed down 0.02 percent at 7417.24 points on Thursday, as fall in Centrica 's CNA.L shares weighed on British stocks, but a rebound in housebuilders and a weak pound provided enough support to recoup most of the morning's losses.
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